Belle had hurried out after Norma at the news about the bluebirds, but Mrs. James called her back as she laughingly said: “Those nut cakes won’t take more than a few minutes to bake and I’m here pining away for a taste of one.”
“Oh, goodness! I forgot all about the cakes in my excitement over the birds,” cried Belle, as she ran back to open the oven door and see how the cakes were doing.
“I wish we had all taken the time to hang our bird houses up,” remarked Janet, as she started for the churn again.
“Let’s do it as soon as this work is done, Janet. Sam hasn’t anything much to do today and he can help. All those large houses are still waiting to be hung in quiet nooks,” said Natalie.
So the remaining bird houses were placed that day and the girls felt that the least the birds could now do was to come and live in them. The rain ceased directly after dinner, and by two o’clock the sun shone feebly from behind the banked-up clouds. But it was clear enough to allow the work on the lake to continue, so the scouts from camp came up and joined the girls from the house.
“I had an idea this morning when I pondered the hold-up this rain made for us,” remarked Mrs. James, when all were ready to begin work. “If we had ditched the narrow strip which is going to drain the bog out into the little creek this rain would not have interfered with our working on the lake hollow. We can dig on that drain now, and then the ground in the depression will dry all the sooner.”
“That’s what we will! We’ll begin near the barn where the little creek passes, and ditch the place deep enough to carry off all the surplus water not standing in the marsh,” agreed Miss Mason.
No more time was lost by the scouts that day and soon they were digging and picking and shoveling for dear life. Many willing hands make light work, too, so the length of ground that had been left to do when Ames stopped digging the day before, was now finished and the last spadeful of soil was finally thrown out. Then the water that had flooded the bog area began to run out and the workers were delighted to think how dry the erstwhile marsh would be by the following morning.
As they started back for the house, after completing this important bit of work, Miss Mason said: “I tried to think of something this morning that we might do to help complete the water garden, but I couldn’t remember a thing. While we were digging, it came to me quite clearly that on just such a day was a good time to take up the bushes and young trees you wanted transplanted to the strip of ground along the field fence. The soil will have clung to the roots and the soil where we transplant the bushes will have been moist enough to help the roots take hold.”
“Why can’t we go for some now?” asked Norma eagerly.